November is the one month writers from around the world gather to create a novel of at least 50,000 words. Whether or not you’re choosing to participate this month, there may come a time when you are ready to pitch your novel to a literary agent.
This is known as the querying process. It takes 5 steps to fully query an agent:
- Research Agents
The first step to the querying process is to research literary agents and their agencies. The best place to start is in the back of your favorite books. Most authors write acknowledgments, where they thank friends, family, editors, beta readers, their publishing house, and their agent for making their writing dreams possible.
So start with the back of your favorite books to gather a list of literary agents, then search them up on the world wide web. Read their bio and/or Manuscript Wishlist to know for certain the genre these agents are accepting. If a specific agent is not seeking your novel’s genre, search up their teammates on the agency website, and keep researching more agents. The more you can find, the better.
- Write Your Query Letter
A query letter should be short and precise and include the following: a hook, synopsis, comparable titles, and your own bio.
Join my newsletter and grab a Free query letter template. (scroll to the bottom)
Agents ask for a query letter, which is similar to a cover letter when you’re job hunting. This allows an agent to understand your novel without having to read it. (If they like what they have read, they may just ask for your full manuscript.)
- Write a Synopsis
You’ve already written a synopsis in your query letter. How’s this step different and separate? This synopsis tells an agent the entire plot or overview of your novel. Information to include are the important character’s names, age, occupation, characteristic traits; the character’s goals and motivations; themes; the plot twist/climax; and resolution.
You can find a synopsis example and template in this bundle.
- Format Your Manuscript
Next, you’ll need to format your manuscript because some agents will ask for the first 10 pages, others 30-50 pages, while others none at all. Either way, you’ll want a final copy of your manuscript for the querying process.
For more details on how to format your manuscript, watch the video below:
- Submit Your Work
The last and final step is to submit your work. Some agents use QueryTracker while others ask you to email them your specific documents, which are your query letter, synopsis and sample manuscript. Pay close attention to their website for such details.
Congratulations–you have completed all 5 steps! Now rinse and repeat for all the agents you have researched. Then give yourself a much needed break.
Whether or not you choose to partake in this month’s writing project, be sure you’re prepared for the querying process. Save this newsletter so you can always refer back to it, and when you’re ready, grab this bundle to help you write your query letter, synopsis, and more.
Good luck!